Benitez challenges players

The Liverpool football club manager Rafael Benitez has challenged his squad to test Manchester United's nerve by winning all nine of their remaining matches in the English Premier League.

Despite Liverpool's stunning 4-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday, United remain masters of their own destiny with a four-pont lead and a game in hand - providing a substantial margin for error over the next two months.

Benitez describes himself as "optimistic but realistic" about the chances of United's stumbling before the finishing line, but a nine-match winning streak down the final stretch certainly does not look beyond his side after what was an unforgettable week for Liverpool fans.

Four days after dishing out a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid, the Reds came from behind to complete their biggest win at United since 1936.